Double Booked
Monday, August 04, 2008
I was really looking forward to two events this weekend in my poker world. The Wall Street Game will be hosting another night of mixed games, this time $3/6 limit, Stud Eight or Better and Omaha Eight or Better. I love mixed games, and have been playing them rather often on Full Tilt lately, to some mediocre success and a whole lotta enjoyment.
The second event is more exciting. I remind you all once again that Dr. Pauly is celebrating his blog's 5th birthday with a $5 tournament at PokerStars, with the first place winner receiving a seat in a $5k event at the Borgata. Full details are available HERE, but I want you all to realize that you cannot take the $5k and skip the event. It is a must-play prize. Also, no chops are allowed for the seat. Pauly, thankfully, has avoided all of the future complaints by setting up clear rules in advance. Kudos to Pauly on offering this awesome opportunity and organizing it well, to boot.
With all this great poker to be had, I realized this morning that there was only one hitch: they are both scheduled for Tuesday. And since I cannot turn down live mixed games 5 minutes from my apartment or a tourney in which I can win 1000x my buy-in against a reasonable field, it looks like I will be multitabling live and online poker. God help me.
I don't have much to say about poker right now, but I sometimes like to use this little space as my own personal babble board, so here goes with a review of a movie that I just saw at random.
In film, as in life, the best thing one can do for his/herself is to go in with the right expectations (or none at all). You can't watch a classic horror flick and complain that it lacked a love story, much in the same way as you cannot call up your straight-laced friend for help to hide the hooker's body and not expect him to do something ridiculous like call the cops. So, when I heard reviews of Shoot 'Em Up, an over-the-top action flick starring Clive Owen and Paul Giamatti, I was surprised by how many of the reviews seemed shocked at the hole-heavy plot and crazy action. The truth is, if you go into the flick with its intentions in mind, it is actually a masterful film.
The first key is to figure out the intentions behind the film. The title alone hints at the fact that Shoot 'Em Up is a hyper-action film. It is in many ways a send-up of action films. At times, Clive Owen as the hero, Mr. Smith, even states plainly that he hates when the hero does x or y, all the while actually pointing out the foolishness inherent in most action flicks. This, alone, does not a good film make, but when you add the insane non-stop action, solid pacing, and creativity, the results are actually quite enjoyable.
A quick synopsis of the story: Mr. Smith is sitting at a bus station when a pregnant girl limps by panting and holding her stomach. A guy follows her with a gun, ready to kill. Mr. Smith decides, reluctantly, to follow the pair, only to step in right before the gunman shoots the preggo chick. During the ensuing scene, in which the gunman's pals, including leader Giamatti, chase after Mr. Smith and old Prego, Prego gives birth. The rest of the movie is Mr. Smith's efforts to protect the newborn infant with the help of his hooker "friend" while Giamatti uses his absurd logic and observation skills to find Mr. Smith wherever he goes.
This is not a love story, so don't expect Mr. Smith and his hooker pal to have a plausible relationship. This is not even a serious film, so don't expect Mr. Smith to be anything but bulletproof when faced by an army of villains chasing him across the city. But it IS supposed to be an action flick, and aside from Mr. Smith's odd fascination with sliding on random surfaces while shooting people (rollers on a conveyor belt, spilt oil, etc., etc. and so forth) the action is consistently innovative or at the very least, exciting.
The action is without a doubt over-the-top, but the sheer fact that Mr. Smith always has a stash of carrots (which he uses to kill at least a few baddies) is a sign that the writer/director wanted to make the violence cartoon-like. After all, the carrot is a clear nod to Bugs Bunny, and Giamatti is playing the role of Elmer Fudd.
If you are a dude who likes action, check out Shoot 'Em Up. I don't want to give too much away here, but it's a great action flick that balances the absurdity of action flicks with some awesome ultraviolence. It pulls no punches, and for that reason, it deserves a big thumbs up.
Until next time, make mine poker!
posted by Jordan @ 4:28 PM,
2 Comments:
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At 6:03 PM,
Jamie said...
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I've taken the madness away by cancelling tomorrow's mixed game. Sadly, we got two last minute dropouts and 6 players (with one doing double duty!) is hardly enough to sustain a cash game all night.
Sad, but true. We need Dawn and CK and the rest of the crew healthy and in New York! WTF?!?! -
At 11:38 PM,
Jamie said...
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We got more players. The game's back on!!!
But we still need you.
